I don't own Bleach.
Chapter 23: Max out
Ichigo struggled to stand up after his eyes were mercilessly slashed by Ginjou. His eyesight was failing, but giving up wasn't an option for him. It never was.
"What the hell…" Ichigo grunted as he pushed himself up. "What the hell are you playing at!?"
"You're too loud."
That was all of Ginjou's response however and simply dashed towards Ichigo and kneed him on the gut. Ichigo was sent flying backwards several meters before crashing to the ground.
"Stop crying too loud, will you? It's really getting on my nerves." Ginjou said before stabbing the ground with his sword.
"Oi, Ichigo!" Nozomi called out and attempted to help Ichigo, but her path was blocked by Ginjou.
"Nozomi-san, I would suggest that you stay right there." Ginjou threatened as he pointed his sword's edge at Nozomi's throat.
"Stop that you bastard!" Ichigo shouted out as he attempted to get up. "What the hell do you want!? You said you were going to help us!"
"You gotta be kidding. What are you even saying? You've already been told about our goal to get you your Shinigami powers back. Teaching you Fullbring is the first step." Ginjou answered, still holding Nozomi at his blade's edge.
"And that's how you do it!?" Nozomi shouted out in anger, surprising Ichigo.
"Nozomi…" Ichigo murmured to himself as he finally manages to stand up.
"I couldn't completely trust you before… and I'm sure Ichigo feels the same. But after this, I can't even believe that your aim is to help us!" Nozomi exclaimed, but was forced to take a step back when Ginjou extended his sword's reach.
"Let me repeat… What are you even saying?" Ginjou started again before bursting into maniacal laughter, alarming both Ichigo and Nozomi. "The very instant you entered the playing field alone with me… It was already over! You are over!"
Ginjou immediately drew back his sword and kicked Nozomi away, sending her crashing to the ground. He didn't give Ichigo time to react however, and immediately dashed to him and punched him square on the face.
"You!" Ichigo quickly broke his fall and wiped the blood off his face.
"What's wrong? You're gonna die you know. Dodge like you mean it." Ginjou gloated confidently as pierced the ground with his sword again.
He quickly spots Inoue attempting to approach an unconscious Nozomi and immediately called out to Yukio, who instantly materializes a cage and drops it on Inoue.
"Oi, Inoue! What happened!?" Ichigo called out in concern.
"Now… I wonder what's happened? How about you go and see?" Ginjou taunts him, which of course works because of Ichigo's current state.
"Ginjou, you bastard!"Ichigo shouted out and dashes towards Ginjou, whom replies with a smirk.
Yukio watches Inoue examine the cage, frantically trying to get everyone's attention but to no avail.
"Your voice won't be heard from outside the cage, and it won't ever break no matter what you do." Yukio explains the cage to Inoue as she continues to pound on it.
Inoue seemingly shouts out to Yukio and tells him something, but as per Yukio's explanation, nobody heard what she wanted to say.
"… Sorry, I guess… I can't hear a word you're saying."
Ginjou easily deflects Ichigo's attack and instantly counters. Ichigo manages to barely dodge him, despite being blinded. Ichigo lands a few meters back, panting from exhaustion.
"Sheesh… you sure can dodge, huh?" Ginjou commented as he lazily dragged his sword on the ground.
"Even if I can't see… with your presence and the sounds you make, I can easily predict you movements!" Ichigo said.
"Presence and sound, huh?"
Ginjou instantly dashed towards Ichigo and stabs him on the right shoulder, his huge blade going all the way through.
"What's wrong? You should be able to dodge it, right? Presence and sound… Don't. Make. Me. Laugh!" Ginjou pushed Ichigo with his sword's weight, making him fall backwards. Ginjou immediately pulled out his sword and quickly stabbed Ichigo again, this time on the stomach.
"I'm done." Ginjou calmed down a little before pulling out his sword from Ichigo's limp body. "Now, It's time for Miss Mod-Soul to die."
Ichigo's eyes immediately opened up upon hearing Ginjou's threat. Ginjou wasn't joking around, he had to get up fast, lest let Nozomi die. He attempted to reach Ginjou with his bloodied hand but is kicked away.
"Please don't tell me you didn't expect this. You should've seen this coming since I was never your comrade. But don't worry, you'll meet up again soon." Ginjou taunted him once more before starting to approach Nozomi, who was still unconsciously on the floor.
"I can't speak… I can't see… Ginjou, wait! WAIT!" Ichigo thought as he lied helplessly on the ground. He was blinded and his body was torn apart, but he refuses to let Ginjou kill Nozomi.
Ichigo manages to open his eyes after several painful struggles, and manages to see Ginjou, but only a white silhouette of him.
"What? This isn't his physical form… This is Reiatsu!" Ichigo figured it out and soon after, a large mass of Reiatsu exploded from his body.
"GINJOU!" Ichigo shouts out violently, as he finally manages to stand up.
Ginjou looks back worried however, and a huge mass of Reiatsu explodes upon Ichigo standing on his feet.
"What… happened…?" Ichigo thought as he opened his eyes to see a heavily wounded and burnt Ginjou smiling at him.
"… I'm proud of you… it's complete." Ginjou said, completely confusing Ichigo so he decides to explain the situation. "The moment a Fullbring is completed, somebody has to stay close and control that outburst of energy while putting their own life on the line. The soul that was until then, suppressed inside the base tool releases itself, and the torrent of energy can ruin the user's body. That's why I needed you to complete your Fullbring where I could see you."
"Ginjou…?" Ichigo looked at him, completely dumbfounded by Ginjou's sudden change in behavior.
"Sorry man, I make one hell of a clichéd villain…" Ginjou scratched the back of his head and reached out an arm to Ichigo so as to help him stand. "Welcome to Xcution."
"Hey, what about Nozomi!?" Ichigo instantly demanded after standing up.
"Huh? Oh, Relax. Nozomi-san's right over there." Ginjou said, pointing to a still unconscious Nozomi on the floor a few meters away. "I had Yukio shield her as soon as your Fullbring blew up so she's fine. And don't worry, I never planned to kill her."
Ichigo felt a massive weight of his chest being lifted upon hearing Ginjou's statement and gives him a "thanks" smile. He quickly went to Nozomi's side and raised her head with his hand.
"Oi, Nozomi, wake up." Ichigo lightly tapped her cheeks with his other hand, causing her to slowly open up her eyes.
"I-Ichigo…" Nozomi said upon seeing his smiling face. After a few seconds of staring at him, she instantly pushes him away and sits up straight, heavily blushing. "D-don't touch me, pervert!"
"Aye." Ichigo replied.
Ginjou approached them afterwards, but Nozomi immediately stood up and gripped the handle of her Zanpakutou, ready to slash at him at the slightest provocation. Ginjou raises both of his hands in the air, as if in an "I surrender" pose.
"Hey, Nozomi, relax. He was only pretending." Ichigo tried to calm her down but was met by a death glare when he attempted to place his hand on her shoulder. "Err… sorry."
Nozomi looked back to Ginjou, but immediately noticed his wounds. "What happened to you?"
"Well you see…" Ichigo answered for him. "He only pretended to kill us so my Fullbring would mature faster. And then when it did, the ensuing explosion was suppressed by him."
Nozomi didn't reply and glared at Ginjou again, as if asking to confirm Ichigo's statement.
"It's true, I swear." Ginjou laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head before making an apologetic face. "Sorry for knocking you out and beating up Ichigo."
Upon hearing his apology, she sheathes her Zanpakutou and exits her Shinigami form. "Alright… but I still don't trust you."
"Well… I can understand that." Ginjou replied.
…
"One hundredddd!" Ichigo said as he pushed himself up for, well, the hundredth time. He quickly turns over and lied on his back like a child who just finished folding his blanket. "No! Dear God, No! I'm not doing any more of this!"
"What's wrong? Tired already?" Ginjou asked him.
"What the hell do you mean by already!? How many sets of 100 pushups are you gonna make me do!?" Ichigo childishly complained.
"We're only at fourteen…"
"Fourteen my foot! Are you insane!? Are you turning me into some wrestler or something!?"
"Stop your yammering. It's only fourteen sets. All right your name's got a 1 and a 5 in it so let's go for one more."
"No! Not that again! I hate it when people pull off that name crap!"
"Liar. You always wear those 15 pattern shirts."
"How the hell did you know that!? You're practically a stalker with your information network!"
Ichigo adhered to Ginjou's order in the end anyway, despite his protests. Nozomi watched him as she rests, refusing to join Inoue inside the make-shift house Yukio materialized for her.
"Kurosaki-kun's really training hard…" Inoue whispered as she peeked from a window of the house.
"I'll let myself in!" Riruka said, AFTER entering the house.
"Riruka-chan… you came in before I said anything again…" Inoue "scolded" her, but was largely ignored.
"Shut it will you!? Here's your breakfast!"
Riruka placed a platter of hotdog sandwiches on the table and promptly prepared to leave.
"Hey! Why don't you eat with me for a nice change?" Inoue offered.
"No thanks. I just had doughnuts."
"Well… she sure eats a lot of doughnuts…" Inoue murmured to herself before taking a bite out of one of the sandwiches.
"Aaaannd that should do it!"
Ichigo promptly collapses on the floor, struggling to catch his breath.
"Hm? You're awfully quiet. Not gonna complain? How about one more set then?" Ginjou joked, but was answered by unamused silence. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Your stamina's probably drained out by now."
"… Stamina…?" Ichigo said in between pants.
"That's right. We use our Fullbrings with our physical bodies. You'll need a ridiculous amount of stamina to effectively use yours."
"So that's why you're having Ichigo do this nonsensical training." Nozomi commented while she approached Ichigo. "Can you stand?" She asked Ichigo.
"Yeah…" Ichigo replied as he was helped up.
"You're recovering fast… that's good too…" Ginjou complimented as Ichigo finishes getting up to his feet with Nozomi's assistance. "You… saw something when your Fullbring got completed, didn't you?"
Ichigo thought back to when Ginjou pretended to go kill Nozomi, when he managed to see a white silhouette of him.
"Just as expected, your mangled eyes should have seen my form bathed in Reiatsu. It was for that reason that I blinded you right then. What you saw, is proof that you've begun to regain your Shinigami powers."
Even though Ichigo knew that it was the point of his training, he was still pretty surprised to hear that. He listened attentively to what Ginjou had to say, with Nozomi doing the same.
Ginjou smiled at them before continuing. "When you lost your Reiatsu… a tiny remnant of it accumulated in a single location within you, over a long period of time. That's why we used the Reiatsu flowing into you from your badge Fullbring to jolt the Reiatsu from inside you awake."
"I see… so that's why you had him learn Fullbring…" Nozomi inquired, which was answered by a nod.
"All that's left to do now is to beef up Ichigo's body and Fullbring. Then his Shinigami powers will fuse with his Fullbring." Ginjou explained to Nozomi before looking back to Ichigo again. "Ichigo, you will gain a power transcending the Shinigami."
Ginjou throws Ichigo's Substitute Shinigami at him, which he manages to catch.
"Try it. Your Fullbring should b truly complete now." Ginjou ordered him.
Ichigo stands up and began to activate his Fullbring. The Reiatsu emanating from his badge quickly enveloped him, materializing into white body armor with black underclothes. There's also a white strap running from both his face's sides. He holds out his badge, from which Reiatsu quickly emitted from and materialized into a short sword.
"That sure is something to look at… I almost thought you were someone else." Ginjou commented as he approached Ichigo. "Come to think of it… your Fullbring needs a name."
Hey all, I apologize for updating just now. It's been a busy day, since our Midterm exams are already on Monday. I should be reviewing… is what an ordinary guy will say. Anyway, that's chapter 23. Hope you like it, share your thoughts if you want. Mata ashita ne.